Review: ‘Axe Cop Vol 4: President of the World’ TPB

The amazingly entertaining and imaginative series from the mind of an eight year old returns. Ethan Nicolle depicts his younger brother Malachai’s further adventures of “Axe Cop”. President of the World delivers on so many levels, and adds new memorable characters to this wacky universe. The book is unrelenting zany fun for those who aren’t concerned with plot holes or strange conveniences.
WRITTEN BY: Malachai Nicolle
ART BY: Ethan Nicolle
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $12.99
RELEASE: July 3, 2013

For the unfamiliar, “Axe Cop” tells the adventures of the titular hero as told from the mind of an eight year old. The book cautions you immediately. Things here are not to be taken seriously. The real world is terrible and “Axe Cop” is fun. Forget everything else.

President of the World collects the three issue miniseries from earlier this year into one book and boy does it deliver. President of the World picks up right where volume three left off. Axe Cop is residing as President of the World in his Gold House in Axeville, which is now capital of the world. He makes a promise of peace from the bad guys for a million years to the people of the world, and sends all the heroes of his time a million in the future to secure his victory. Phew…

Plot is crazy here. Millions of years pass by with a single page. Yet, character is where this book shines most. Malachai’s sprawling stories always seem to focus on wonderful and colorful characters. This time through we have the addition of Junior Cobb and Goo Cop. Junior Cobb is a gorilla from planet weird gorilla that has rocket fists. Goo Cop is a man turned pile of goo turned cop by aliens and Axe Cop respectively.

Junior Cobb and Goo Cop give the story a explosive dose of variety. Junior Cobb is just so amazing as a concept that every frame he is part of he absolutely steals. Goo Cop’s arc is tragic and fantastic.

The whole book is really thrown together with Ethan’s utterly upbeat and clean art. The art of the book allows every character to ooze with personality. The deep clean lines give everything a solid look like the best Saturday morning cartoons. Every frame of Junior Cobb’s stupid face will slay you, Goo Cop’s wonderful mutations and goo powers will enthrall you. The Water Princess manages too look both insane and beautiful at the same time.

Frankly the art combined with the zany story feels like some surreal waking dream of delightful insanity. Nothing is quite consistent in the story, but the art is always a treat to look at. Absolutely anything can be done, and because of the magic of comics. Universes can be traversed in a matter of panels.

“Axe Cop” is special kinds of fun. It brought me back to the days of my childhood where I used to smash action figures together, all the while building a winding incoherent narrative behind all the smashing. The pace is absolutely unrelenting, and the story is unlike anything in comics right now.

Later this month the cartoon version of the comic is launching. I for one can’t wait. Get into “Axe Cop” now, because by the end of this month it’s all anyone will be talking about.